Air compressor or motor.



R. G. 'BATTIN.

AIR COMPRESSOR 0R MOTOR.

V APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2? 1915- L55,%?., 7 Patented Feb. 5,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Mm, M ZZZ R. G. BATTIN.

AIR COMPRESSOR 0R MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27. 1915.

Patented Feb 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- l/v 'iv TOR Haber/ 65077777QJHJHIIIIIIIIIIII ROBERT G. BATTIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

AIR COMPRESSOR R, MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, rate.

Application filed December 27, 1915. Serial No. 68,712.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. BATTIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Compressors orMotors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to air compressors and more particularly to adevice of this character that may, by certain adjustment of its parts,be converted into a motor, and by a readjustment of the parts will againoperate as a compressor whereby air may be compressed and thereafterused for various purposes, including the starting of the de vice whenused as a motor.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device ofthe foregoing character that may be conveniently carried, andoperatively connected with the crank shaft of an automobile engine ofthe ordinary type, in order that the latter may be started by the motor,when operated by air previously compressed thereby, instead of beingstarted by the usual manual method of cranking.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic adjustingmechanism whereby the driving gearing may be moved to operate as amotcr, or to drive as a com pressor, or will be moved to a neutralposition when the air within the storage tank has reached a determinedpressure.

In accomplishing these and other objects I have provided the details ofstructure hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure I is a plan view of a convertible compressorand motor constructed according to my invention, a part of the gearcasing being removed for better illustrating the contained parts.

Fig. II is a longitudinal, vertical section of the same taken on lineIIII, Fig. I.

Fig. III is a longitudinal, vertical section taken on line IIIIII, Fig.I, particularly illustrating the sleeve lifting mechanism and slide bar.

Fig. IV is a vertical section, showing the piston sleeve in its lowestposition.

Fig. V is a vertical section showing one of the relative positions ofthe piston sleeve and piston, when the device is being used as acompressor.

Fig. VI is a detail view showing the automatic gear shifting mechanism.

Referring more in detail to the parts 1 designates the device taken as awhole, comprising a main or cylinder section 2, having an integrallyformed, ofiset side housing 3 for containing the sleeve operating parts,later described, and a lower, removable crank case section 4:.

The upper section 2 comprises a plurality a main crank shaft 12; thesaid shaft being mounted in suitable bearings interposed between theupper and lower sections 2-4, and projected therefrom into a gear casing13 where it is provided with gearing, presently described, and throughwhich connection is made with the vehicle engine.

Threaded into the outer ends of the cylinders 567 are head. caps 15having central ports 16 which lead outwardly through necks 17 integrallyformed with the head caps and through connections 18 with a conduit 19to a storage tank (not shown) that may be carried in any suitable manneron the vehicle.

Located within the ports 16 and adapted to control the passage of airtherethrough are check valves, comprising balls 21 that are yieldinglyretained on seats 22 by springs 23 that are contained within the saidports.

By so arranging the valves it will be seen that the air compressedwithin the cylinders by each upward movement of a piston therein will beforced outwardly through the valves into the storage tank, but will beretained against a back flow into the cylinder,

Located within the cylinders 567 and adapted for vertical, slidablemovement therein, are sleeves 252627 which extend the length of thecylinders and contain respectively the pistons 8-9-10.

When the device is to be used as a motor it is necessary that the airunder pressure may be admitted to the cylinders to cause an outwardmovement of the pistons, and it is also essential that means be providedfor relieving the pistons of pressure as they start on their upwardmovement. To provide for the admittance of air to the cylin ders, Iprovide each of the sleeves, near its upper edge, with an intake slotwhich is adapted, when the sleeve is in proper position, to admit acharge of air into the cylinder from the storage tank (not shown);connection therewith being made through a conduit 31 which leads fromthe said tank and opens into a slot 32 milled in the cylinder casing,the said slot 32 communicating with all of the cylinders and beingclosed at the outside by a cover plate 33.

In order that the air may be exhausted from the cylinders on the upwardmovement of the pistons, I provide the said sleeves with exhaust slots35 which are cut through the sleeves opposite the intake slots andslightly higher, so that when the exhaust is open the intake slots areclosed; the exhaust opening into a slot 36 milled in the cylinder casingas the slot 32, and discharging through a conduit 37 to a mufller (notshown). I

I also provide each sleeve with an auxiliary intake port 38 which islocated at a point slightly higher than the lowest point of the pistonstroke, and, when the sleeve is held at its highest position, opens toatmosphere through a port 40 in the cylinder wall, so that when thedevice is being used as a compressor, with the sleeves shifted to theirhighest position, and the intake and exhaust slots 32 and 35 closed, thepistons on their downward movement will create a vacuum within thecylinders and as the pistons pass below the auxiliary intakes, air willrush in to fill the cylinders, and with the upward movement of thepistons the ports will be closed and the air taken in will be forcedthrough the valves 20 tothe storage tank.

lVhen the device is used as a motor, the piston action is produced bythe automatic opening and closing of the intake and exhaust ports, toadmitand discharge air from the cylinders, this action beingaccomplished by the shifting of the piston sleeves within .thecylinders, which brings the ports therein into registration with theintake and ex haust ports of the casing at the proper intervals; thisshifting action being accomplished in the followmg manner:

Each of the sleeves 252627 is supported within its respective cylinderby a lift arm 41 that is threaded onto and extends laterally from a liftrod 42; the said lift rods being slidably supported in vertical positionwithin brackets 43, integrally formed with the casing 3 and projectedinto sockets 44 of caps 45 threaded into the lions ing; the lower endsof the said rods being rounded and adapted to ride on the cams 46 of acam shaft 47.

The cam shaft 47 is mounted in suitable bearings parallel with the shaft12 and at one end is provided with a gear wheel 50 which meshes with alike gear 51 on the shaft 12, whereby the cam shaft is revolvedsimultaneously with the shaft 12, so that the cylinder sleeves,supported by the lift arms 41 and actuated by turning of the cam shaft47, retain a certain movement relative to the movement of the pistonstherein.

As the cam shaft revolves, the lift rods are given an upward anddownward movement, due to the cam action, which causes a, likemovementof the sleeves within the cylinders; the downward movement ofthe lift arms being insured by springs 52 that are wound about the liftrods and bear against the arms and easing caps.

lVhen the device is used as a compressor, it is necessary that thesleeves be raised to close the intake and exhaust ports 32 and 35, andto retain the sleeves in this position I provide a lift bar 54 whichextends longitudinally through the casing and is slidably supported 011the brackets 43 and is adapted for slidable movement beneath the liftarms 41.

On the upper side of the lift bar 54: are spaced lift wings 55, havinginclined faces 56 adjacent the lift arms and adapted for slidingthereunder, so that when the said bar is drawn outwardly the inclinedwing faces slide beneath the arms 41 to lift the arms and cause a likelifting movement of the sleeves within the cylinders.

; As an automatic means of raising the lift arms to elevate the liftrods out of engagement with their respective cams when the device is tobe used as a compressor, the lift bar 54 is extended outwardly throughsuitable bearings in the casing and into a cylinder 58 that carries atits outer end a piston 59; the said bar being urged outwardly tonormally retain the lift wings beneath the lift arms, by means of a coilspring 60 which bears against the piston and easing.

Opening mto the air supply conduit 31 is a connectlon 62 whlch opens mtothe cylinder 58 at the outer side of the piston 59, so that when air isadmitted through the supply conduit 31 to the piston cylinders 5-67, tooperate the motor, it is also admitted to the cylinder 58, causing thepiston 59, carried on the lift bar 54, to be pushed inwardly against thespring 60 and thereby shift the bar 54 beneath the lift arms 41,-allowing the same to be lowered.

When pressure is cut off from the supply tank, to stop the. motor,pressure is also removed from the piston 59, allowing the same to bepushed outwardly by the spring 60, again bringing the lift bar intonormal position.

The gearing which forms a drive from the motor to the vehicle engine andfrom the vehicle engine to the compressor may be defined as follows: Thecrank shaft 12 is extended slightly within the gear case 13 and is thereprovided with a gear wheel 65, having on its outer face a clutch collar66, the said gear being in constant mesh with a larger gear 67 fixed ona free shaft 68.

Projected into a socket 69 in the end of the shaft 12 and resting in abearing 70 in the gear casing, are rounded portions 71 and 72 of asquare shaft 73, the outer end of which carries a sprocket wheel 74 bywhich connection with the vehicle engine may be made in any suitablemanner.

Slidably carried on the square shaft 73 and revolved thereby, is a gearwheel 76, carrying a clutch collar 7 7 thereon, adapted for meshing withthe clutch collar 66 of the gear 65, and adapted for being shifted inand out of mesh with a gear wheel 78 fixed on the shaft 68.

When the device is being used as a com pressor, connection is madedirect with the shaft 12 from the vehicle engine by shifting the gear 76along the square shaft 73 to bring the clutch collars 6667 into mesh,thereby locking the two shafts 12 and 73,

and causing a direct drive from the engine to the compressor.

When it is desired to use the device as a motor, connection to thevehicle engine is made by shifting the gear wheel 76 along the squaredshaft into mesh with the gear wheel 78, thereby lowering the drivingspeed, and power being transmitted from the crank shaft 12, meshinggears -67 and gears 7873 to the sprocket 74 and to the vehicle engine.

Assuming that the device is operating as a motor and is being driven byair under pressure admitted from a storage tank through the conduit 31,as the air pressure is turned into the conduit 31 it is also admittedthrough the connection 62 to the cylinder 58, causing an outwardmovement of the lift bar 54. The shifting of the bar 54 not onlyreleases the lift arm 41 but also shifts the gear 76 into mesh with thegear 78; the shifting being done by an arm 80 which is yieldinglysecured on the bar 54, which is moved therewith, and is provided withuayoke 81 which fits within a peripheral groove 82 in the collar 77 on thesaid gear, so that the latter is shifted along the square shaft by themovement of the bar 54.

After the vehicle engine has been started, the air may be cut off fromthe supply tank, which will remove the pressure from within the cylinder58, allowing the piston 59 to be pushed outwardly by the spring 60 andthereby shifting the slide bar 54 to raise the cylinder sleeves, and atthe same time shifting the gear 76 along its square shaft and bringingthe clutch 77 and 66 into mesh. The device will now be operating as acompressor to refill the storage tank.

It will now be seen that in order to avoid injury to the storage tankwhen a certain pressure has been reached therein, the gearing will haveto be shifted to a neutral position. In accomplishing this I provide apressure regulator comprising a cup 90 having connection with thepressure tank directly through a conduit 91, the said cup containing adiaphragm (not shown) which will be forced outwardly when a certainpressure is exerted thereagainst, and carries pin 93 which projects fromthe cup and is adapted for engaging a release lever 94.

As before mentioned, the arm 80 is slidable on the bar 54 but isyieldingly held in a certain position by springs 95 and 96, whichnormally hold the gear in a neutral position on the shaft 73, the spring95 being secured at one end to the bar 54 and bearing against the armcollar 97 and the spring 96 bearing at one end against the arm collarand at the opposite end against the gear casing.

When air is turned into the conduit 31 to operate the device as a motor,the bar 54 is shifted as before described, carrying with it the shiftingarm 80 and the gear 76 is brought into mesh with the gear 78 and poweris transmitted from the shaft 12 through the meshing gears to thevehicle engine.

In order to insure the movement of the arm 80 with the bar 54, I providethe said bar with a notch 98 for receiving a latch member 99, that isslidably carried in the arm collar and has an outturned lip 100 at itsouter end that is downwardly pressed by a spring 101, so that as the baris moved outwardly the latch 99 will seat in thenotch 98 and the arm 80will be carried outwardly therewith.

l/Vhen pressure is shut off to stop the motor the bar 54 is drawn backby the spring 60 and the device operates as a compressor. As the bar 54is thus drawn back, carrying with it the arm 80, the latch lip 100 ispositioned above the outer end of the release lever 94. "When sufficientpressure has been reached in the storage tank to move the pin 98outwardly, the lever 94: is so moved to raise the latch 99 from the barnotch 98, which allows the spring 95 to push the arm 80 along the bar 54until the two springs balance and the gear 76 is shifted to a neutralposition.

Presuming the device to be so constructed and operatively connectedthrough the sprocket 74 with an engine, it will operate as a motor bysupplying air to the cylinders through the conduit 31, whichsimultaneously admits air to the cylinder 58 so that the piston shiftsthe bar 54 Within the casing to place the cylinder sleeves in operativeposition as previously described.

It will also be seen that the device may be used as'a compressor byshifting the gears and sleeve rod, and upon a certain degree ofcompression they will be automatically cut out, allowing the gears torun in a neutral position and the pistons to remain idle.

It will be seen that the exact details of the device and exactarrangement of the gears might be modified to a certain extent withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Obviously the pressurewithin the supply tank may be used for various purposes for w ichcompressed fluid is adaptable and as the device is connected directlywith an engine, the source of supply of compressed fluid is alwaysmaintained.

It will furthermore be seen that the device is not limited to use onmotor vehicles but.

is adapted for combustion engines in general, either stationary ormobile, and may be used advantageously in mining operations for raisingor lowering shaft cars.

'Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters-Patent, is: V

1. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free andcompressed air intake and exhaust ports, a reservoir in communicationwith the compressed air intake port, a slide valve in the cylinder foropening each of said ports independently ofthe other, a member forshifting the valve to alternately open the compressed air intake andexhaust ports, means for moving said member to position for closing saidports and opening the free air intake port and holding the valve in setposition, a conduit for feeding the reservoir from the cylinder, and anautomatic valve for controlling fiow to said conduit;

2. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free andcompressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, an automatically valvedconduit leading from the cylinder, a slide valve for controlling saidports, a piston in the cylinder, a

reciprocating member connected with the Valve, cam mechanism for urgingthe member in one direction, a spring cooperative with the cam mechanismand adapted for returning the valve, and a shifting device for movingthe reciprocating member against the tension of said spring and holdingthe valve in determined position.

3. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free andcompressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a slide valve forcontrolling said ports, a reciprocatory pin having an arm connected withsaid valve, a cam for engaging said pin to shift the arm, a spring forurging the pin to engagement with the cam, a shift bar having a cam headthereon for engaging the arm to hold the same against the tension of thespring, and a piston operable in said cylinder.

4. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free andcompressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a slide valve forcontrolling said ports, a reciprocatory pin having an arm connected withsaid valve, a cam for engaging said pin to shift the arm, a spring forurging the pin to engagement with the cam, a shift bar having a cam headthereon for engaging the arm to hold the same against the tension of thespring, a piston operable in said cylinder, and yielding means fornormally retaining the shift bar in holding relation with said arm.

5. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free andcompressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a reservoir feedconduit in communication with the cylinder, a conduit in communicationwith the compressed air intake port, a slide valve for controlling saidport, a reciprocatory member having a shift arm thereon for actuatingthe valve, a cam for engaging said member to actuate said arm andyielding means for holding the said member against the cam. a shift barcylinder, a piston in the said cylinder, :1 shift bar connected withsaid piston, and having a cam head for engaging said shift arm to moveand hold the same against the tension of its spring, a spring for urgingthe said piston to move and hold the shift bar in operative relation tothe shift arm. and connection between said cylinder and the conduitleading to the compressed air intake port for supplying fluid underpressure to the shift bar cylinder at the side of the piston oppositethe spring.

6. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free andcompressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a reservoir conduitin communication with the compressed air intake port, a reservoir supplyconduit in valved communica mamas tion with the cylinder, aslide valvehaving separate ports for the several cylinder ports, a reciprocatorypin, a cam for actuating said pin, a spring for urging the pin toengagement with the cam, an arm on said pin connected With said valve, aslide bar having a cam head for engaging said arm, yielding means forurging the shift bar to operative position relative to the cam head.

7. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free andcompressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a reservoir conduitin communication with the compressed air intake port, a reservoir supplyconduit in valved communication with the cylinder, a slide valve havingseparate ports for the several cylinder ports, a reciprocatory pin, acam for actuating said pin, a spring for urging the pin to engagementwith the cam, an arm on said pin connected with said valve, a slide barhaving a cam head for engaging said arm, yielding means for urging theshift bar to operative position relative to the cam head, a piston onsaid shift bar, a cylinder inclosing said piston and connection betweensaid last named cylinder and the reservoir conduit, whereby fluid underpressure is admitted to the shift oar cylinder simultaneously withadmission thereof to the main cylinder.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT G. BATTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioncr of Patents, Washington, D. C."

